Pasta alla puttanesca
Pasta alla puttanesca is a bold Italian main course starring tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers and anchovies in a punchy, salty sauce. The Thermomix TM7 chops the garlic and chilli in seconds, then simmers the sauce hands-free while your pasta cooks. Restaurant-quality flavour with minimal effort and only one bowl to wash up.
About this recipe
Pasta alla puttanesca Thermomix TM7 brings one of Italy's most famous weeknight pasta recipes straight into your all-in-one kitchen machine. This Neapolitan classic owes its reputation to a handful of bold store-cupboard ingredients: canned chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, pickled capers, anchovy fillets and pitted Kalamata olives, all warmed with garlic, fresh long chilli and dried oregano in extra virgin olive oil. In the TM7 the sauce comes together in a single mixing bowl: the blades blitz the garlic and chilli to an even fineness no knife can match, and precise, gentle heating lets the anchovies melt into the tomato base without any sticking or stirring by hand. The result is a glossy, intensely savoury sauce with a salty-spicy kick that clings to the pasta. It is the ideal quick weeknight dinner when you want maximum flavour from pantry staples, and the grated Parmesan finish makes it feel like a genuine trattoria experience at home.
Preparation tips
- Reserve a splash of the starchy pasta cooking water before draining: stirring a few tablespoons through the puttanesca sauce loosens it and helps the tomato, olive and caper mixture coat every strand of pasta beautifully.
- Taste the finished sauce before adding extra salt: the anchovy fillets, pickled capers and Kalamata olives already bring plenty of saltiness, so season only at the very end and sparingly.
- For a milder family version, remove the seeds and membranes from the fresh long chilli before it goes into the mixing bowl; the oregano and olives still deliver plenty of character for children who prefer gentler flavours.
Recipe variations
- Vegetarian puttanesca: simply omit the anchovy fillet and add an extra teaspoon of tomato paste plus a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes to keep the deep, savoury umami base that the anchovies normally provide.
- Festive seafood variation: stir fresh tuna cubes or peeled prawns into the finished sauce and let them warm through gently, then serve with spaghetti, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and extra grated Parmesan on the side.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Fine chopping - The TM7 blitzes the garlic cloves and fresh chilli in seconds to an even consistency. [Chopping]. [Multi-Function]
- Weighing precision - The integrated scale of the Thermomix weighs the olive oil and tomato paste directly in the bowl, mess-free. [Weighing]. [Precision Control]
- Gentle heating - The Thermomix warms the anchovy fillets and tomatoes at a controlled low temperature so nothing burns. [Heating]. [Precision Control]
- Grating ease - The TM7 grates the Parmesan cheese finely while the sauce simmers, ready to serve. [Grating]. [Multi-Function]
- Even mixing - The Thermomix stirs the olives and capers through the sauce hands-free until evenly distributed. [Mixing]. [Hands-Free]
Ingredients
- Parmesan cheese
- garlic cloves
- fresh long red chilli
- extra virgin olive oil
- canned chopped tomatoes
- tomato paste
- pickled capers
- anchovy fillet
- pitted Kalamata olives
- dried oregano